Press Release: Transition Health Policy Team Leader Asks Americans to Hold Health Care Community Discussions

Daschle Unveils Outreach Program at Colorado Health Care Summit -- Will Attend One of the Meetings

DENVER -- As part of the Obama-Biden Transition's continuing efforts to reach out and directly involve the American people in their own government, Transition Health Policy Team Leader former Senator Tom Daschle announced today that the Transition will host Health Care Community Discussions across the Country over the holidays this December to help his Policy Team put together their final recommendations for the New Administration. Daschle made the announcement this morning in Denver in a speech to Senator Ken Salazar's Colorado Health Summit, where he also announced that he will select one Health Care Discussion from all those submitted and attend it in person.

The Health Care Community Discussions, which will be organized via the Transition's web page, Change.gov, are modeled on the widely popular platform committee meetings that the Obama Campaign held across the country earlier this summer. They are designed to help the Health Team flesh out key issues around health policy and give the Team fresh ideas about the best ways to promote the President-elect and Vice President-elect's vision of quality affordable health care for all Americans.

"Providing quality affordable health care for all Americans is one of my top priorities for this country because our long-term fiscal prospects will have a hard time improving as long as sky-rocketing health care costs are holding us all down," said President-Elect Obama. "Yet in order for us to reform our health care system, we must first begin reforming how government communicates with the American people. These Health Care Community Discussions are a great way for the American people to have a direct say in our health care reform efforts and I encourage Americans to take part if they are able. I am looking forward hearing back from you and from Senator Daschle in the coming weeks."

If you are interested in hosting a Health Care Community Discussion in your home or your neighborhood anytime from December 15th to the 31st, please sign up at change.gov. The Transition Health Policy Team will provide a special moderators kit and materials for you to conduct your meeting and will provide forms for moderators to provide feedback to the team. More information about the Transition's outreach efforts on all areas of policy are also available at Change.gov.